The key difference between Argentina and Mexico regarding covid-19

(Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) -

Mexico and Argentina have a similar number of infected by covid-19.

Both countries exceeded the barrier of 2 million cases in recent days, according to Johns Hopkins University.

However, the difference between its inhabitants is enormous.

According to the World Bank, Mexico has more than 127 million while Argentina is close to 45 million.

If we took only these two indicators, we could affirm that the pandemic is impacting the South American country more.

But when looking at the confirmed death figures, the story changes.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Mexico is the third country with the most deaths in the world, with almost 176,000 victims reported as of this Wednesday morning.

While Argentina reports more than 50,000 deaths, that is, less than a third of Mexico.

Now, how can this enormous difference between one country and another be understood?

According to Our World in Data, while Mexico performs 36 tests per 1,000 inhabitants, in Argentina there are more than 120, that is, more than triple.

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The less tests, the less confirmed infected.

What makes the lethality in Mexico is 8.8%, much higher than the world average (it is only surpassed by Yemen, which has few cases).

In contrast, that of Argentina is 2.5%, similar to the rest of the countries in the region.

So while in Mexico 8.8% of confirmed cases end in death, in Argentina it occurs with 2.5%.

Something that can be explained, in part, by the huge difference in the number of tests performed.

Population

Mexico: More than 127 million inhabitants

Argentina: Almost 45 million inhabitants

Confirmed cases of covid-19

Mexico: More than 2 million

Argentina: More than 2 million

Deaths confirmed by covid-19

Mexico: 175,986

Argentina: 50,432

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Tests every 1,000 inhabitants

Mexico: 36.2

Argentina: 126.2

Covid-19 fatality

Mexico: 8.8%

Argentina: 2.5%

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Covid-19